PTOI Plastic2Oil Inc (PK)

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

The following risk factors should be considered in evaluating our businesses and future prospects. These risk factors represent what we believe to be the known material risk factors with respect to our business and our company. Our businesses, operating results, cash flows and financial condition are subject to these risks and uncertainties, any of which could cause actual results to vary materially from recent results or from anticipated future results.

Risks Related to our Business

We are an early stage company with a history of net losses, and we may not achieve or maintain profitability.

We have incurred net losses since our inception, including losses of $5,700,035 and $4,324,310 in 2016 and 2015, respectively. We expect to incur losses and potentially have negative cash flow from operating activities for the near future. We have divested of our significant non-core businesses, which historically had generated revenues for the Company and have transitioned our focus solely on the development of our P2O business. To date, our revenues from our P2O business have been limited and we expect to invest significant additional capital in the further development and expansion of our P2O business and for marketing and general and administrative expenses associated with our planned growth and management of operations as a public company. As a result, even if our revenues increase substantially, we expect that our expenses could exceed revenues for the foreseeable future. It is not certain when we will achieve profitability. If we fail to achieve profitability, or if the time required to achieve profitability is longer than we anticipate, we may not be able to continue our business. Even if we do achieve profitability, we may not be able to sustain or increase profitability on a quarterly or annual basis. We may experience significant fluctuations in our revenues, significantly driven in part by the long negotiation periods, market price of fuel and we may incur losses from period to period. The impact of the foregoing may cause our operating results to be below the expectations of investors and securities analysts, which may result in a decrease in the market value of our securities.

We have a limited operating history and are focused on our P2O business, which may make it difficult to evaluate our current business and predict our future performance.

After divesting certain non-core business lines, we are solely focused on our P2O business and our limited operating history may make it difficult to evaluate our current business and predict future performance. Any assessment of our current business and predictions about our future success or viability may not be as accurate as otherwise possible if we had a longer operating history. We have encountered, and may continue to encounter risks and difficulties frequently experienced by growing companies in rapidly changing industries. If we do not address these risks successfully, our business could be harmed.

Our process and processors may fail to produce fuel at the volumes we expect.

A key component of our business strategy is to market our processors that produce a viable high quality fuel to wholesalers and industrial end users. Even with a reliable supply of sufficient volumes of waste plastic, our and ours customer processors may fail to perform due to mechanical failure or unscheduled maintenance resulting in potentially significant downtime. Our processors do not have a long operating history, and accordingly the equipment and systems in any given processor may not operate as planned or for as long as expected based on preliminary testing and trials.

We may be required to replace parts more often than expected due to excessive wear and tear or malfunction due to their use during the evolution of our process. Replacement of parts or components of the processor could result in additional unplanned downtime, resulting in lower fuel volume productions.

Different feedstock may result in different fuel yields including potentially higher production of off-gas or petcoke residue, which would proportionately reduce the amount of salable fuels produced. The presence of contaminants in our feedstock could reduce the purity of the fuel that we produce and require further investment in more costly separation processes or equipment. Additionally, contaminants that are present in the feedstock could result in damage to the processor which would cause unplanned downtime and lower than expected fuel volumes.

Unexpected problems with either the processor or our feedstock supplies may force us to cease or delay production and the time and costs involved with such delays may be significant. Any or all of these risks could prevent us from achieving the production volumes and yields, and producing fuel at the costs, necessary to achieve profitability from our business. Failure to achieve expected production volumes and yields, or achieving them only after significant additional expenditures, could substantially harm our financial condition and operating results.

We need substantial additional capital in the future in order to develop our business.

Our future capital requirements will be substantial, particularly as we continue to develop our P2O business. We believe that our current cash and cash equivalents will not allow us to expand commercial operations at the Niagara Falls, NY Facility. Because the costs of developing the P2O business on a commercial scale are highly contingent on our approach to commercialization, and are subject to many variables, including site-specific development costs and the number of processors to be placed at a given location, we cannot reliably reasonably estimate the amount of capital required to expand the P2O business beyond the Niagara Falls, NY facility; thus processor manufacturer first, and fuel seller second. If we are successful in achieving our plans to enter into other P2O industrial partnerships, we may require significant additional funding to execute such partnerships and may not be able to rely on funding through our own earnings. Funding would be required for constructing P2O processors, site specific build-outs and developing other aspects of our business with our industrial partners.

To date, we have funded our operations primarily through private offerings of equity securities and related party debt. If future financings involve the issuance of equity securities, our existing stockholders could suffer dilution. If we were able to raise debt financing to expand our operations, we may be subject to restrictive covenants that could limit our ability to conduct our business. Our plans and expectations may change as a result of factors currently unknown to us, and we may need additional funds sooner than planned. We may also choose to seek additional capital sooner than required due to favorable market conditions or strategic considerations.

Our future capital requirements will depend on many factors, including:

Additional funds may not be available when we need them, on terms that are acceptable to us, or at all. If funds are necessary or required and are not available to us on a timely basis, we may delay, limit, reduce or terminate:

If we fail to raise sufficient funds and continue to incur losses, our ability to fund our operations, construct processors, enter into agreements with suitable industrial partners, take advantage of other strategic opportunities and otherwise develop our business could be significantly limited. We may not be able to raise sufficient additional funds on terms that are favorable or acceptable to us, if at all. If adequate funds are required for operations and are not available, we may not be able to successfully execute our business plan or continue our business.

Our future success is dependent on being able to attract and retain qualified management and personnel.

We will require additional expertise in specific areas applicable to our P2O business and will require the addition of new personnel, and the development of additional expertise by existing personnel. The inability to attract talented personnel with appropriate skills or to develop the necessary expertise could impair our ability to develop and grow our business.

The loss of any key members of our management team or the failure to attract or retain qualified management and personnel who possess the requisite expertise for the conduct of our business could prevent us from further developing our businesses according to our current strategy. We may be unable to attract or retain qualified personnel in the future due to the intense competition for qualified personnel amongst technology-based businesses, or due to the unavailability of personnel with the qualifications or experience necessary for our business. Competition for business, financial, technical and other personnel from numerous companies and academic and other research institutions may limit our ability to attract and retain such personnel on acceptable terms. If we are unable to attract and retain the necessary personnel to accomplish our business objectives, we may experience staffing constraints that will adversely affect our ability to meet the demands of our industrial partners and customers in a timely fashion or to support continued development of our P2O business.

Competitors and potential competitors who have greater resources and experience than we do may develop processors and technologies that make ours obsolete or may use their greater resources to gain market share at our expense.

Our P2O business has elements of both a recycling business and a fuel refiner/ production business, which makes it difficult to identify and make direct comparisons to competitors. Both the recycling and energy sectors are characterized by rapid technological change. Our future success will depend on our ability to achieve and maintain a competitive position with respect to technological advances in both of these sectors. We believe that our business currently faces competition in the plastics-to-energy market, including competition from PK Clean, Vadxx Energy, Green Envirotec Holdings LLC, Agilyx and RES polyflow, each of which has developed alternative methods for obtaining and generating fuel from plastics. Because P2O solution end products include a variety of fuels, we also face competition from the broader petroleum industry.

Our P2O business faces competition in acquiring feedstock, mainly because there are other technologies and processes that are being developed and/or commercialized to offer recycling solutions for plastic. Additionally, there is significant competition from businesses in the energy sector that sell fuel, including both traditional producers and alternative fuel producers. Companies in the fuel sales industry may be able to exert economies of scale in the fuels market to limit the success of our fuel sales business. We believe that our business is more appealing in both the recycling sector and the fuel sector due to its green aspect. Technological developments by any form of competition could result in our processors and technologies becoming obsolete.

In addition, various governments have recently announced a number of spending programs focused on the development of clean technologies, including alternatives to petroleum-based fuels and the reduction of carbon emissions. Such spending programs could lead to increased funding for our competitors or a rapid increase in the number of competitors within these markets.

Our limited resources relative to many of our competitors may cause us to fail to anticipate or respond adequately to new developments and other competitive pressures. This failure could reduce our competiveness and market share, adversely affect our results of operations and financial position and prevent us from obtaining or maintaining profitability.

The effectiveness of our business model may be limited by the availability or potential cost of plastic feedstock sources.

Our P2O business model depends on sale of processors. However, our customers may delay procurement due to the availability of waste plastic obtained at relatively low cost to be used as a feedstock to produce our fuel products. If the availability of feedstock decreases, or if our customers are required to pay substantially more than is reasonable to become profitable for feedstock, this could reduce their fuel production and/or potentially reduce their profit margins if they are forced to use alternative, more costly measures to procure feedstock. It is possible that an adequate supply of feedstock may not be available for the customer processors to meet daily processing capacity. This could have a materially adverse effect on our customer’s financial condition and operating results.

Our P2O financial results will also be dependent on the operating costs of our processors, including costs for feedstock and the prices at which we are able to sell our end products. Volatility in both the pricing of feedstock as well as the market price for fuels could have an impact on this relationship. General economic, market, and regulatory factors may influence the availability and potential cost of waste plastic. These factors include the availability and abundance of waste plastic, government policies and subsidies with respect to waste management and international trade and global supply and demand. The significance and relative impact of these factors on the availability of plastic is difficult to predict.

We will, for the very near future, depend on processor sales for revenues related to our business. Therefore, any failure to restart and produce fuel at anticipated pilot volumes and cost would adversely affect our sale of processors and licensing of technology.

A significant portion of our anticipated revenue for fiscal 2017 will be derived from processor sales and licensing our technology. We will incur additional expenses to restart production at that Niagara Falls facility for pilot runs to demonstrate our processors. Any failure to restart and produce fuel at anticipated pilot volumes and costs would adversely affect our sale of processors and licensing of technology. Such failure would adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Unforeseen customer manufacturing issues or processor downtime could have significant adverse impact on our business.

Our business and strategic growth plans rely on assumptions of customers processor uptime reaching certain levels in which ample fuel can be produced to meet the needs of our customers and provide us with adequate operating cash flow to cover our cost of operating. Unforeseen manufacturing issues with the processors or unscheduled downtime due to mechanical failure, low quality feedstock, severe weather conditions or unexpected issues with the processors could have a material adverse impact on our customers fuel production and operating results. In addition, manufacturing and/ or fabrication delays with respect to additional processors could cause customers revenues and fuel production to be lower than anticipated.

We may have difficulties gaining market acceptance and successfully marketing our processors or fuel to our customers.

A key component of our business strategy is to market our processors and fuel as a viable high quality fuel to wholesalers and industrial end-users. If we fail to successfully market our processors or fuel or the targeted customers do not accept it, our business, financial condition and results of operations will be materially adversely affected.

To gain market acceptance and successfully market our processors and fuel, we must effectively demonstrate the advantages of using P2O fuel over other fuels, including conventional fossil fuels, biofuels and other alternative fuels and blended fuels. We must show that P2O fuel is a direct replacement for fossil fuels. We must also overcome marketing and lobbying efforts by producers of other fuels, many of whom have greater resources than we do. If the markets for our processors and fuel do not develop as we currently anticipate, or if we are unable to penetrate these markets successfully, our revenue and revenue growth rate could be materially and adversely affected.

Pre-existing contractual commitments and skepticism of new production methods for fuels may hinder market acceptance of our processors and fuel.

Adverse public opinions concerning the alternative fuel industry in general could harm our business.

The plastic-to-fuel industry is new, and general public acceptance of this method of recycling and fuel generation is uncertain. Public acceptance of P2O fuel as a reliable, high-quality alternative to traditionally refined petroleum fuels may be limited or slower than anticipated due to several factors, including:

Such public perceptions or concerns, whether substantiated or not, may adversely affect the demand for our fuels, which in turn could decrease our sales, harm our business and adversely affect our financial condition.

A decline in the price of petroleum products may reduce demand for our P2O fuels and may otherwise adversely affect our business.

We anticipate that our fuels will be marketed as alternatives to their corresponding conventional petroleum product counterparts, such as heating oil, diesel fuel and naphtha. If the prices of these products fall, we may be unable to produce products that are cost-effective alternatives to conventional petroleum products. Declining oil prices, or the perception of a future decline in oil prices, may adversely affect the prices we can obtain from our potential customers or prevent potential customers from entering into agreements with us to buy our products. During sustained periods of lower oil prices, we may be unable to sell some of our fuel products, which could materially and adversely affect our operating results.

In addition, recent discoveries and drilling of shale gas deposits has caused a general decrease in natural gas prices which could cause commercial and industrial fuel users to switch from using petroleum-based products to natural gas to power their equipment, machinery and operations. In such case, demand for our fuel products may decline. Any decline in demand for petroleum-based products could materially and adversely affect our results from operation.

Our operations are subject to various regulations, and failure to obtain necessary renewed permits, licenses or other approvals, or failure to comply with such regulations, could harm our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We are, and may become subject to, various federal, state, provincial, local and foreign laws, regulations and approval requirements in the United States, Canada and other jurisdictions, including those relating to the discharge of materials or pollutants into the air, water and ground, the generation, storage, handling, use, transportation and disposal of waste materials, and the health and safety of our employees.

The Company currently possesses an Air Permit and Solid Waste Permit for up to three processors at the Niagara Falls, NY facility. Failure to maintain these permits on terms and conditions acceptable to and achievable by us, or at all, could affect the commercial viability of the Niagara Falls, NY facility, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

As we implement our growth strategy, our planned P2O business will require additional permits, licenses or other approvals from various governmental authorities. Our ability to obtain, amend, comply with, sustain or renew such permits, licenses or other approvals on acceptable, commercially viable terms may change, as could the regulations and policies of applicable governmental authorities. Our inability to obtain, amend, comply with, sustain or renew such permits, licenses or other approvals may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Any fuels developed using our P2O process will be required to meet applicable government regulations and standards. Any failure to meet these standards and/or future regulations and standards could prevent or delay the commercialization or sale of any fuels developed using our P2O process or subject us to fines and other penalties.

All phases of designing, constructing and operating fuel production facilities present environmental risks and hazards. Among other things, environmental legislation provides for restrictions and prohibitions on spills and discharges, as well as emissions of various substances produced in association with fuel operations. Legislation also requires that sites be operated, maintained, abandoned and reclaimed in such a way that would satisfy applicable regulatory authorities. Compliance with such legislation can require significant expenditures and a breach may result in the imposition of fines and penalties, some of which may be material. Environmental legislation is evolving in a manner that may result in stricter standards and enforcement, larger fines, penalties and liability, as well as potentially increased capital expenditures and operating costs. The discharge of pollutants into the air, soil or water may give rise to liabilities to governments and third parties, and may require us to incur costs to remedy such discharge.

There is no assurance that our operations will comply with environmental or occupational, safety and health regulations in any applicable jurisdiction. Failure to comply with applicable laws, regulations and approval requirements could subject us to civil and criminal penalties, require us to forfeit property rights, and may affect the value of our assets or our ability to conduct our business. We may also be required to take corrective actions, including, but not limited to, installing additional equipment, which could require us to make substantial capital expenditures. These penalties could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We may be unable to produce our fuel products in accordance with governmental specifications.

Even if we produce P2O fuel at our targeted volumes and yields, we may be unable to produce fuel that meets future governmental regulations. If we fail to meet these specific regulations customers may not purchase our fuel or, to the extent we have an agreement in place for the supply of fuel, the customer may seek an alternate supply of fuel or terminate the agreement completely. A failure to successfully meet these specifications could decrease demand for our fuel, leading to reduced sales and operating results.

Our dependence on contract manufacturers for processor components exposes our business to supply risks.

We have limited internal capacity to manufacture our processor components. As a result, we are heavily dependent upon the performance and capacity of third party manufacturers for the manufacturing of many of the key components of our processors, including kilns and distillation towers as well as certain other key components that require specialized machining and fabrication.

We are working to establish long-term supply contracts with contract manufacturers. However, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to enter into long-term supply contracts on commercially reasonable terms, or at all, or to acquire, develop or contract for internal manufacturing capabilities. Any resources we expend on acquiring or building internal manufacturing capabilities could be at the expense of other potentially more profitable opportunities.

We currently have only patent-pending protection for our P2O process and processor.

We have sought patent protection of our intellectual property by filing for international patents via the Patent Cooperation Treaty, however, as yet, none have been granted. We also rely on trade secrets to provide protection for our proprietary catalyst. We currently have patent pending status for our P2O process and processor. However, a lack of patent protection could have a material adverse effect on our ability to gain a competitive advantage for our P2O processors, since it is possible that our competitors may be able to duplicate our P2O process for their own purposes. This may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, including on our ability to enter into industrial partnership arrangements or other agreements relating to our P2O processors.

We rely in part on trade secrets to protect some of our intellectual property, and our failure to obtain or maintain trade secret protection could adversely affect our competitive position.

We rely on trade secrets to protect some of our intellectual property, such as our proprietary catalyst. However, trade secrets are difficult to maintain and protect. We have taken measures to protect our trade secrets and proprietary information, but there is no guarantee that these measures will be effective. We require new employees and consultants to execute confidentiality agreements upon the commencement of an employment or consulting arrangement with us. These agreements generally require that all confidential information developed by the individual or made known to the individual by us during the course of the individual’s relationship with us be kept confidential and not disclosed to third parties. Nevertheless, our proprietary information may be disclosed, or these agreements may be unenforceable or difficult and costly to enforce. If any of the above risks materialize, our failure to obtain or maintain trade secret protection could adversely affect our competitive position.

Collaborations with third parties have required us to share some confidential information, including with employees of these third parties. Our strategy for the development of our business may require us to share additional confidential information with our industrial partners and other third parties. While we use reasonable efforts to protect our trade secrets, third parties, or our industrial partners’ employees, consultants, contractors and/or other advisors may unintentionally or willfully disclose proprietary information to competitors. Enforcement of claims that a third party has illegally obtained and is using trade secrets is expensive, time consuming and uncertain. In addition, foreign courts are sometimes less willing than domestic courts to protect trade secrets. If our competitors develop equivalent knowledge, methods and know-how, we may not be able to assert our trade secrets against them. Without trade secret protection, it is possible that our competitors may be able to duplicate our process for their own purposes. This may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, including on our ability to enter into industrial partnership arrangements or other agreements relating to our process and processors.

Our quarterly operating results may fluctuate in the future. As a result, we may fail to meet or exceed the expectations of investors or research analysts, which could cause our share price to decline.

Our financial condition and operating results have varied significantly in the past and may continue to fluctuate from quarter to quarter and year to year in the future due to a variety of factors, many of which are beyond our control. Factors relating to our business that may contribute to these fluctuations include the various risk factors described elsewhere in this report. Due to these various risk factors, and others, the results of any prior quarterly or annual periods should not be relied upon as indications of our future operating performance.

During the ordinary course of business, we may become subject to lawsuits or indemnity claims, which could materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations.

From time to time, we may in the ordinary course of business be named as a defendant in lawsuits, claims and other legal proceedings. Plaintiffs in these actions may seek, among other things, compensation for alleged personal injury, worker’s compensation, and damages for employment discrimination or breach of contract, property damages and injunctive or declaratory relief. In the event that such actions or indemnities are ultimately resolved unfavorably at amounts exceeding our accrued liability, or at material amounts, the outcome could materially and adversely affect our reputation, business and results of operations. In addition, payments of significant amounts, even if reserved, could adversely affect our liquidity position.

We are responsible for the indemnification of our officers and directors.

Our by-laws provide for the indemnification of our directors, officers, employees, and agents, under certain circumstances, against costs and expenses incurred by them in any litigation to which they become a party arising from their association with or activities on our behalf. Consequently, we may be required to expend substantial funds to satisfy these indemnity obligations. We currently hold directors’ and officers’ liability insurance policies for the benefit of our directors and officers, although our insurance coverage may not be sufficient in some cases, including the liability we may face in connection with pending actions. See “Legal Proceedings.” Furthermore, our insurance carriers may seek to deny coverage in some cases, in which case we may have to fund the indemnification amounts owed to such directors and officers ourselves.

We may have difficulty in attracting and retaining management and outside independent members to our Board of Directors as a result of their concerns relating to their increased personal exposure to lawsuits and stockholder claims by virtue of holding these positions in a publicly-held company.

The directors and management of publicly traded corporations are increasingly concerned with the extent of their personal exposure to lawsuits and stockholder claims, as well as governmental and creditor claims which may be made against them, particularly in view of recent changes in securities laws imposing additional duties, obligations and liabilities on management and directors. Due to these perceived risks, directors and management are also becoming increasingly concerned with the availability of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance to pay on a timely basis the costs incurred in defending such claims. Although we currently maintain directors’ and officers’ liability insurance, our coverage has limits and has recently become more expensive. If we are unable to continue or provide directors’ and officers’ liability insurance at affordable rates or at all, it may become increasingly more difficult to attract and retain qualified outside directors to serve on our Board of Directors.

Our independent registered public accounting firm has expressed substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.

Our independent registered public accounting firm, in their audit opinions issued in connection with our consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2016 and 2015 and our consolidated statements of operations, stockholders’ equity and cash flows for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015, have expressed substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern given our net losses, accumulated deficit and negative cash flows. The accompanying consolidated financial statements were prepared on the basis of a going concern, which contemplates the realization of assets and the satisfaction of liabilities and commitments in the normal course of business, and accordingly do not contain any adjustments which may result due to the outcome of this uncertainty.

Risks Relating to Ownership of Securities of the Company

Investors may lose their entire investment in our securities.

Investing in our securities is speculative and the price of our securities has been and may continue to be volatile. Only investors who are experienced in high risk investments and who can afford to lose their entire investment should consider an investment in our securities.

Shares of our common stock are quoted and trade on the OTCQB Market, which may have an unfavorable impact on our stock price and liquidity.

Shares of our common stock are quoted and traded on the OTCQB Market. Trading in shares quoted on the OTCQB is often thin and characterized by wide fluctuations in trading prices, due to many factors that may have little to do with a company’s operations or business prospects. This volatility could depress the market price of our common stock for reasons unrelated to our operating performance. Moreover, the OTCQB is not a stock exchange and is a significantly more limited market than the New York Stock Exchange, NASDAQ or other stock exchanges. Stockholders may have difficulty buying and/ or selling their shares. The quotation of our shares on the OTCQB may result in a less liquid market available for existing and potential stockholders to trade our common stock, could depress the trading price of our common stock and could have a long-term adverse impact on our ability to raise capital in the future.

Our common stock is subject to price volatility unrelated to our operations.

The market price of our common stock could fluctuate substantially due to a variety of factors, including market perception of our ability to achieve planned growth, quarterly operating results of other companies in the same or similar industries, trading volume in our common stock, changes in general conditions in the economy and the financial markets or other developments affecting our competitors or us. In addition, stock markets may be subject to price and volume fluctuations. This volatility could have a significant effect on the market price of our common stock for reasons unrelated to our operating performance.

Our common stock may be classified as a “penny stock” as that term is generally defined in the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to mean equity securities with a price of less than $5.00. As such, our common stock would be subject to rules that impose sales practice and disclosure requirements on broker-dealers who engage in certain transactions involving a penny stock.

We may be subject to the penny stock rules adopted by the SEC that require brokers to provide extensive disclosure to its customers prior to executing trades in penny stocks. These disclosure requirements may cause a reduction in the trading activity of our common stock, which in all likelihood would make it difficult for investors to buy or sell shares.

Rule 3a51-1 of the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934 establishes the definition of a “penny stock” for purposes relevant to us, as any equity security that has a minimum bid price of less than $5.00 per share or with an exercise price of less than $5.00 per share, subject to a limited number of exceptions which are not available to us. This classification would severely and adversely affect any market liquidity for our common stock.

For any transaction involving a penny stock, unless exempt, the penny stock rules require that a broker or dealer approve a person’s account for transactions in penny stocks and the broker or dealer receive from the investor a written agreement to the transaction setting forth the identity and quantity of the penny stock to be purchased. In order to approve a person’s account for transactions in penny stocks, the broker or dealer must obtain financial information and investment experience and objectives of the person and make a reasonable determination that the transactions in penny stocks are suitable for that person and that that person has sufficient knowledge and experience in financial matters to be capable of evaluating the risks of transactions in penny stocks.

The broker or dealer must also deliver, prior to any transaction in a penny stock, a disclosure schedule prepared by the SEC relating to the penny stock market, which, in highlight form, sets forth the basis on which the broker or dealer has made the suitability determination and that the broker or dealer received a signed, written agreement from the investor prior to the transaction.

Disclosure also has to be made about the risks of investing in penny stocks in both public offerings and in secondary trading and commission payable to both the broker or dealer and the registered representative, current quotations for the securities and the rights and remedies available to an investor in cases of fraud in penny stock transactions. Finally, monthly statements have to be sent disclosing recent price information for the penny stock held in the account and information on the limited market in penny stocks.

Because of these regulations, broker-dealers may not wish to engage in the above-referenced necessary paperwork and disclosures and/or may encounter difficulties in their attempt to sell our common stock, which may affect the ability of stockholders to sell their shares in any secondary market and have the effect of reducing the level of trading activity in any secondary market. These additional sales practice and disclosure requirements could impede the sale of our common stock, if and when such shares become listed on a stock exchange. In addition, the liquidity for our common stock may decrease, with a corresponding decrease in the price of our common stock. Our common stock could be subject to such penny stock rules for the foreseeable future and our stockholders could find it difficult to sell their common stock.

Listing our stock on markets other than the OTCQB could be costly for us.

Our common stock is currently quoted and traded on the OTCQB Market. In the future, we may file an application to be listed on a stock exchange in the United States or elsewhere. Unlike the OTCQB, a stock exchange has corporate governance and other listing standards, which we will have to meet. Such standards and regulations may restrict our capital raising or other activities by requiring stockholder approval for certain issuances of stock, for certain acquisitions, and for the adoption of stock option or stock purchase plans. Applying for and obtaining any such listing on a stock exchange, and complying with the requirements of such stock exchange, would require us to incur significant expenses.

We do not anticipate paying cash dividends, and accordingly, stockholders must rely on share appreciation for any return on their investment.

Since inception, we have not paid dividends on our common stock and we do not anticipate paying cash dividends in the near future. As a result, only appreciation of the price of our common stock, which may never occur, will provide a return to stockholders. Investors seeking cash dividends should consider not investing in our common stock.

We incur significant costs as a result of operating as a public company, and our management is required to devote substantial time to new compliance initiatives.

As a public company, we incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses. In addition, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, as well as related rules implemented by the SEC,” and the OTCQB impose various requirements on public companies. Our management and other personnel devote a substantial amount of time to these compliance initiatives. Moreover, these rules and regulations increase our legal and financial compliance costs and make some activities, such as maintaining director and officer liability insurance, more time-consuming and costly.

In addition, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires, among other things, that we maintain effective internal control over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures. We must perform system and process evaluation and testing of our internal controls over financial reporting to allow management to report on the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting, as required by Section 404(a) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Our compliance with Section 404(a) will require that we incur substantial accounting expense and expend significant management time on compliance-related issues. If we are not able to comply with the requirements of Section 404 in a timely manner, our stock price could decline, and we could face sanctions, delisting or investigations, or other material adverse effects on our business, reputation, results of operations, financial condition or liquidity.

Shares of common stock eligible for sale in the public market may adversely affect the market price of our common stock.

Sales of substantial amounts of our common stock by stockholders in the public market, or even the potential for such sales, may adversely affect the market price of our common stock and could impair our ability to raise capital through selling equity securities. As of the date of this filing, approximately 90.9 million of the 124.8 million shares of common stock currently outstanding were freely transferable without restriction or further registration under the securities laws, unless held by “affiliates” of our company, as that term is defined under the securities laws. We also have outstanding, approximately 124.8 million shares of restricted stock, as that term is defined in Rule 144 under the securities laws that are eligible for sale in the public market, subject to compliance with the requirements of Rule 144.

Techniques employed by manipulative short sellers may drive down the market price of our common stock.

Short selling is the practice of selling securities that the seller does not own but rather has, supposedly, borrowed from a third party with the intention of buying identical securities back at a later date to return to the lender. The short seller hopes to profit from a decline in the value of the securities between the sale of the borrowed securities and the purchase of the replacement shares, as the short seller expects to pay less in that purchase than it received in the sale. As it is therefore in the short seller’s best interests for the price of the stock to decline, many short sellers (sometime known as “disclosed shorts”) publish, or arrange for the publication of, negative opinions regarding the relevant issuer and its business prospects in order to create negative market momentum and generate profits for themselves after selling a stock short. While traditionally these disclosed shorts were limited in their ability to access mainstream business media or to otherwise create negative market rumors, the rise of the Internet and technological advancements regarding document creation, videotaping and publication by weblog (“blogging”) have allowed many disclosed shorts to publicly attack a company’s credibility, strategy and veracity by means of so-called research reports that mimic the type of investment analysis performed by large Wall Street firms and independent research analysts. These short attacks have, in the past, led to selling of shares in the market, on occasion in large scale and broad base. Issuers who have limited trading volumes and are susceptible to higher volatility levels than large-cap stocks, can be particularly vulnerable to such short seller attacks. These short seller publications are not regulated by any governmental, self-regulatory organization or other official authority in the U.S., are not subject to the certification requirements imposed by the Securities and Exchange Commission in Regulation and, accordingly, the opinions they express may be based on distortions of actual facts or, in some cases, fabrications of facts. In light of the limited risks involved in publishing such information, and the enormous profit that can be made from running just one successful short attack, unless the short sellers become subject to significant penalties, it is more likely than not that disclosed short sellers will continue to issue such reports.

While we intend to strongly defend our public filings against any such short seller attack, oftentimes we are constrained, either by principles of freedom of speech, applicable state law (often called “Anti-SLAPP statutes”), or issues of commercial confidentiality, in the manner in which we can proceed against the relevant short seller. Investors should be aware that in light of the relative freedom to operate that such persons enjoy, should we be targeted for such an attack, our common stock will likely suffer from a temporary, or possibly long term, decline in market price should the rumors created not be dismissed by market participants.